Free Web NovelChapter 364: Chapter 364: The Whereabouts of the Hand of Oblivion_1
The next day, Qiqimora once again visited the Rose Iron Prison and was brought to Aiden’s office.
"Vila has already received the imparted divine word, though she does not possess sufficient divinity to activate its power. However, she is still prepared to pay the fee," Qiqimora reported while sitting in a guest chair to Aiden.
"What does she plan to settle with?" Aiden asked. fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm
"Cash, a total of two thousand pounds, and according to our prior agreement, you take the larger share, one thousand five hundred pounds," Qiqimora said.
"Money, actually?" Aiden raised an eyebrow.
"She can’t offer anything else; after all, her best work is now in your hands as a plaything. Moreover, her attitude toward you... while somewhat softened, cannot be as close as mine with you. She’s unlikely to do your bidding like I do," Qiqimora shrugged, "In our deals with you, she gets the most money, and she has already accumulated enough wealth to buy several properties in the autonomous district. ’Problems that can be solved with money are not problems at all’—those are her very words."
"Quite the grand declaration, enviable indeed," Aiden nodded his approval.
"So, Warden, what do you think?"
"Let’s proceed with that," Aiden gestured nonchalantly, "It doesn’t matter to me."
"How composed you are, your lordship; such a detached attitude is truly admirable," Qiqimora immediately showered him with praise.
As someone still concerned about his own future, Aiden didn’t care much for money at the moment. The entertainment level of this world was nowhere near that of his past life, and there weren’t many things he found worth spending money on.
"Well then, Warden, my compensation..." Qiqimora tentatively inquired.
"I’ve already sent someone to call her. She will arrive soon," Aiden glanced at the wall clock.
Two minutes later, someone knocked on the office door.
"Sir, I’ve brought the person," Veronica’s voice came from outside the door.
"Right, thank you. Let her in," Aiden responded.
Veronica opened the door and stepped aside to allow Sophie, who had been brought along, into the office. Before closing the door and leaving, she took a couple of extra glances at Qiqimora, who was seated inside.
"Is it my imagination, or was that policewoman staring straight at me?" laughed Qiqimora, seemingly quite taken with Veronica, "It’s rare to come across someone who notices me like that."
After speaking, she turned her gaze to Sophie Carter, pursed her lips, and greeted her, "Pleased to meet you, superstar. I didn’t expect to see you in a place like this."
"Pleased to meet you, Great Witch Qiqimora. I’ve heard about you before," Sophie replied with a polite smile, "But is it my imagination or, despite your laughter, do your eyes seem not so friendly when you look at me?"
Sophie, both a receptionist for an intelligence trading organization and an entertainment performer, was better at analyzing facial expressions than most people. She could tell that when Qiqimora’s gaze turned toward her, there were no real signs of amiability in her eyes.
"Please understand, I’ve always been quite concerned about lacking a sense of presence. So, you know, seeing those stars who shine in all sorts of situations, I tend to feel envious," Qiqimora freely admitted, glancing at Aiden again, "Even though the Warden obviously knows about this, he deliberately arranged a direct meeting between us, which is really too much."
"Having her explain the intelligence directly to you is to avoid any suspicion of omission on my part when relaying the information. This way, you can be more at ease," Aiden answered expressionlessly.
"How considerate," Qiqimora smiled, looking back at Sophie, "Then I won’t waste any more time. I’ve heard that you know the whereabouts of the Hand of Oblivion?"
"Yes, according to the intelligence pieced together by the organization, we believe that a Professor Dodge at the Empire’s Royal Military Academy acquired it through some channel about ten years ago," Sophie replied.
"A teacher? A scholar?" Qiqimora was a little surprised.
"Teaching at the Empire Royal Military Academy means he is more than just a teacher. He has a military rank and is an officer of the Empire," Aiden added, "As you may know, the Empire’s Heretic Inquisitorial institutions are part of the Imperial Army. This Professor Dodge is an academic staff teaching Heretic Inquisitors and working in the Heretic Inquisition Bureau, dealing with the sealing and analyzing of dark magic items. He’s a well-known instructor."
Every country’s heretic inquisitorial institutions have some researchers permitted to study dark magic, who are responsible for providing the inquisitors with simple dark spells, developing countermeasures, and sealing and handling captured Magic Potions and dark magic items.
However, the Covenant nations still take a negative stance on dark magic, and these researchers with special permissions often undergo strict supervision, with their research hamstrung. On average, officials with expertise in dark magic are far less accomplished than those in places like the witches’ gatherings.
But this does not mean that there are no formidable figures among the official dark magic researchers.
"So he acquired the exclusive authority by accident at work?" Qiqimora asked.
"The exact channel through which he acquired it is unclear, but we are quite certain that he did obtain it," Sophie explained slowly, "The organization concludes that he obtained the Hand of Oblivion about ten years ago, or maybe even earlier. Ten years ago, he was imprisoned for research into necromancy, which was strictly forbidden by the Empire, and awaited trial. Then, while in prison, he suddenly disappeared." freёweɓnovel.com
"Did he use the Hand of Oblivion to escape?" asked Qiqimora.
"Not just an escape; he also fled with it. As long as he carries that Divine Artifact, no one can catch him," Sophie said, "For the seven years that followed, he left traces only in a few places, making the information collected by the Smiling Scales completely fragmented."
"So it’s still in his possession? That makes it hard to find him, then," Qiqimora frowned, "And how can you be sure of his location?"
"Because starting three years ago, he stopped concealing his whereabouts as he used to. It’s not because he didn’t want to, it’s because he couldn’t. He probably can’t use the exclusive authority continuously anymore. It’s said that using the Hand of Oblivion for an extended period results in backlash and the user’s existence gradually being devoured, eventually turning them into ’a person that does not exist in this world,’" Sophie said earnestly, "The last two updates related to him were from two and one years ago, respectively. Both pieces of information point to him being in Sunset City, south of Gistas. He has stayed there, perhaps with some purpose."
